Friday, November 01, 2013

1 Nov - Blogs I'm Following

BANKRUPT!BANKRUPT! (Photo credit: SS&SS)
The Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ...The Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of UN. Target date: 2015 http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2:58pm MDST

Eight years

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 3 minutes ago
This blog has been going for eight years. In that time we have seen politics and public opinion shift relentlessly to the right. From 1990 (approximately) to 2005 the public moved and largely remained to the left. There was nothing that collected and organised this opinion, save for the period when Stop the War was a membership organisation and not a brand name, the salad days of the anti-war movement 2001-2003. With hindsight the 7/7 bombings was the point when the ruling class started to get ahead of the game again. Another possible turning point, also from the same year, was Mak... more »

WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 25 minutes ago
The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. None of this is really possible without global military disarmament. We have a choice to make.

Tweet, and be damned?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 34 minutes ago
Oh, good grief! As a teenager, I made it my weekly mission to tune in, of a Saturday afternoon, to Paul Gambaccini's American chart show on BBC Radio 1. Paul G counting down the latest hits stateside [as DJs would say back then] was an unmissable part of my youth, back in the early-to-mid '80s. Now, Paul Gambaccini has been arrested under Operation Yewtree. He strongly denies the allegations. The Twittersphere has been abuzz today, putting two and two together, after the story broke. The clue given - on which they fed so frenziedly - was that the BBC DJ in question was aged 64.... more »

By-Election Results October 2013

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 hour ago
Party Number of Candidates Total Vote % +/- Sept Average/ contest +/- Sept +/- Seats Conservative 29 11,749 22.1% -10.5% 405 +34 -2 Labour 27 19,317 36.3% +7.9% 715 +328 +4 LibDem 21 7,077 13.3% +3.9% 337 +159 +1 UKIP 24 5,596 10.5% -10.8% 233 -26 0 SNP* 4 4,960 9.3% +9.3% 1,240 +1,240 -2 Plaid Cymru** 2 236 0.4% +0.4% 118 +236 0 Green 12 1,234 2.3% -1.0% 103 -11 0 BNP 3 115 0.2% -0.2% 38 -82 0 TUSC 1 21 0% +0.0% ... more »

Snowman Kids Ornament

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 1 hour ago
It is the time of year when I start breaking out my Holiday crafts and ideas, so you can be well done with your crafting by the time Christmas rolls around. I have some fun Thanksgiving ideas too, but I thought we would kick of the holiday crafting season with a kids craft. This craft is perfect for those younger kid and elementary school students. It is easy to pull together and really open to individuality. You will need: Large Popsicle sticks, the tongue depressor type Felt or foam in a few colors, we used purple for the scarf and black for the hat google eyes a black m... more »

Is Obama finished?...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 1 hour ago
William Gensert, who wrote "Stick a Fork in Obama", over at American Thinker seems to think so. He's already received over 400 comments - some agree with him and some don't. Pop over and read the article and let me know what you think. I'll reserve my opinion until I ponder it a bit. *Stick a Fork in Obama* I thought the chicken breast was particularily appropriate given that my demo today is Chicken Cordon Bleu. I do plan on cooking mine, though... *There. That's better.*

Our final World Series in Boston post!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 hour ago
*FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2013* *Stood up by the old Boston Braves:* Fenway Park certainly makes a fantastic TV set. When the camera peers in from center field, the fans behind home plate are so close that they seem to be handing you hot dogs. And then, good lord, those glorious walls! From right center field all the way over, Fenway's walls are 17 or 37 feet high. With all those potential bounces! With that in mind: The best seat in baseball must be the one directly along the left field line, halfway up in the section. You’re maybe fifteen feet off the field, looking in at home pla... more »

Mi'kmak Warriors press conference Nov. 1, 2013

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 2 hours ago

TOURING THE JEJU MESSAGE

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 2 hours ago
Catholic nuns continue blocking Navy base construction gate in Gangjeong village on Jeju Island in South Korea. Priests and nuns have become increasingly determined in their actions in recent months.During the last couple of weeks Maine filmmaker Regis Tremblay has been touring the new documentary The Ghosts of Jeju. Starting in Massachusetts he then went on to the San Francisco Bay area for a couple showings and then up to Santa Rosa before heading to Seattle. He's now dipping back down to Oregon for a couple more showings of the film and then moving on to Minneapolis, Minneso... more »

FUKUSHIMA - DON'T PANIC

Anon at aangirfan - 2 hours ago
A number of websites WRONGLY stated that the above diagram shows radiation from Fukushima. In reality, this diagram was produced in 2011. It was made by the *National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)*to show the tsunami of 11 March 2011, based on data recorded in the Pacific. *NOAA website* This is explained by Audrey Garric at *le monde* on 29 Oct 2013 (also *Le blog de Wendy*) In a study published this month in the journal *Deep-Sea Research*, scientists have studied the path in the ocean of cesium-137. "The plume of cesium-137 resulting from the disaster is ex... more »

Hedge Fund Operative Gordon Hendry Joins Indiana State Board of Education

Doug Martin at Schools Matter - 2 hours ago
by Doug Martin When Mind Trust board member and Bill Bennett operative David Shane (wife of former Eli Lilly Endowment’s education consultant) recently stepped down from the Indiana State Board of Education, I was not shocked when Mike Pence quickly picked Democrat Gordon Hendry to join the state board. Hendry is married to Jennifer Wagner, the former spokesperson for the Indiana Democratic Party. Wagner has been in bed with the rightwing in Indiana for some time. Her company Mass Ave. PR filmed the corporate-theocratic 2012 Ed Reform Rocks Rally at the statehouse, starring Demo... more »

Catch of the Day

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 3 hours ago
I missed this for some reason earlier in the week, but Brendan Nyhan had a point I agree with completely with regard to this week's sudden obsession with Barack Obama's old claim that everyone would be able to keep their current insurance under ACA: Another possible explanation for the lack of scrutiny given to Obama’s promises is that the press often takes its cues about the flaws in a policy from the opposition party, which is part of a pattern of indexing coverage to the range of debate among political elites. In this case, conservative politicians and pundits often emphasized ba... more »

Limning Minnesota: Ripley bungled these topics too!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 3 hours ago
*FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2013* *In the U.S., the improvement was general:* Was Minnesota number two in the teaching of math around the year 2007? That’s what Amanda Ripley seems to say in her egregious but ballyhooed book, The Smartest Kids in the World. But alas! This and several other claims about Minnesota are either wrong or grossly misleading. Once again, we present Ripley’s basic text on this topic: RIPLEY (*page 72*): Of the three American students I followed, Eric was the only one who did not loathe math. Coincidence or not, Eric’s home state of Minnesota was one of only two st... more »

Contour Crafting: 3D Printing of Homes

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 3 hours ago
Posted at: Blacklisted News The Printer That Can Print A 2,500 Square Foot House In 20 Hours. October 31, 2013 Source: Industry Tap We have seen huge advancements in 3D printing. We’ve even seen oversized wrenches printed that measure 1.2 meters in length. Now, we can print an entire 2,500 sqft house in 20 hours. ... In this video, we see a prototype of a machine called ‘Contour Crafting’

Alabama Reactionaries Bobby Bright And Parker Griffith Reemerging From Their Holes?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 3 hours ago
Unless you're from Montgomery, Alabama, I wouldn't blame you if you can't remember who Bobby Bright was. As Mayor of Montgomery, Bright never had to say if he was a Democrat or a Republican. But when Republican Terry Everett announced he would not run for reelection in AL-02, a seat that had been in GOP hands for over 4 decades, Bright avoided the crowded GOP primary by running as a Democrat, albeit as gay-hating, anti-Choice NRA Blue Dog. He won the general election by 1,776 votes (just over a half of one percent). He then went on to accrue the worst voting record of any Blue Dog... more »

The Caligula Caucus

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 4 hours ago
The politically correct are calling it a class war, or even a war against the poor. But that's putting it too mildly. Because the assault of the plutocrats on the body politic is now actually reaching the level of extermination -- or, if you prefer, culling the herd, slow starvation, and legalized homicide. Here are a few of my recent *New York Times* comments addressing this largely ignored crisis*. First, in response to Charles Blow's piece on the partisan hammering that the neoliberal health insurance reform known as Obamacare is now receiving: Lost in the circular blame game med... more »

It's not the crack, it's the character flaws

Jody Paterson at A Closer Look: Jody Paterson - 4 hours ago
I for one will be very glad when this Rob Ford business is over, because he has been an embarrassing and poorly considered choice for Toronto mayor on all kinds of fronts, and whether he did or didn't smoke crack on video is really just one small detail in the epic Ford story. What to do with morally errant politicians? We're all over the map on that one, but for me it mostly comes down to putting the various specifics in context and deciding if the picture of the person who emerges is the kind of person you want running your town, province or country. For instance, consid... more »

on the beach

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 4 hours ago

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 4 hours ago
Dia De Los Muertos Familiars. [graphic via La Hermosa Bruja]

Well at least now we know ...

Alison at Creekside - 4 hours ago
... why there are so many photos of Rob Ford squinting up at the sky : Ford himself has been the target of a police investigation that witnessed and photographed him in months of on-the-ground and airplane surveillance ... .

I have lost interest in politics

LeDaro at LeDaro - 4 hours ago
The following cowboy has succeeded to turn me off of politics - Senate scandal and now his buddy Rob Ford is in the news again. This time the video, Ford smoking grass, has become available to police. Too much depressing stuff.

Climbing a tree

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 5 hours ago

"It's a madhouse! A madhouse!"

P. L. Thomas at Schools Matter - 5 hours ago
Valerie Strauss’s *The Answer Sheet* has a discussion of Common Core and text complexity that you must read: Common Core: How are books judged? Strauss ends with: Appendix A of the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards has a long and complicated explanation of “text complexity,” which you can read here, that reviews research said to show that the complexity of today’s reading demands for adults have held steady or risen over the past half century at the same time that the material students have read has gotten easier. Another document, titled “Supplemental Information... more »

Two Key Dates In The Duffy / Wright / Harper Scandal ...

leftdog at Buckdog - 5 hours ago
*CBC's Peter Mansbridge examines what went on behind closed doors on two key dates that led up to the current Senate scandal. If you are following the Senate Scandal ... this is 'must see' viewing!* * ** *

How Big Business Turned Welfare For The Poor Into Corporate Welfare

Marc McDonald at BeggarsCanBeChoosers.com - 6 hours ago
*By MARC McDONALD* America has been gutting its already-threadbare social safety net for three decades. The recent cuts to food stamps are the latest evidence of that. Does this mean that we will eventually see the realization of the GOP's dream of ending all welfare for low-income people? Not if corporate America has a say in the matter. And make no mistake, nothing gets done in Washington, D.C. without corporate America's blessing. The fact is, corporate America loves welfare. (No, I'm not just talking about the billions of dollars big corporations pocket in corporate welfare eve... more »

Support The UK Magazine, "What Doctors Don't Tell You"

Stranger in a Strange Land at Stranger in a Strange Land - 6 hours ago
** *And here is why:* ** *The Times* vs. *WDDTY* On 1st October, *The Times* newspaper of London published an article that could well have precipitated the death knell of WDDTY magazine. If *The Times* piece had stopped the public buying the magazine, it would undoubtedly have struggled to survive. Fortunately, this hasn’t happened; in fact, subscription rates have increased, not declined, as a result of the publicity. That's how keen the public is to get information they can’t readily get from their doctors! Nonetheless, there are valuable lessons to be learned by all, especially ... more »

MALALA, MATTHEWS AND MADDOW: Rachel Maddow’s transfusion from Fox!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 6 hours ago
*FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2013* *Part 4—Satya shortfalls:* Our broken intellectual culture is badly in need of transfusions. In part for that reason, we were thrilled when we watched the tape of the United Nations address Malala Yousafzai offered last July. “I’m not *against* anyone,” this very unusual person said, and the emphasis was hers. She went on to define her spiritual/political lineage. We were pleased and impressed by what we saw. Malala had just turned 16 as she defined this heritage: MALALA (7/12/13): *Dear sisters and brothers! I am not against anyone.* Neither am I here... more »

Common Core and Text Complexity: “It’s a madhouse! A madhouse!”

plthomasedd at @ THE CHALK FACE - 6 hours ago
Valerie Strauss’s The Answer Sheet has a discussion of Common Core and text complexity that you must read: Common Core: How are books judged? Strauss ends with: Appendix A of the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards has a long and complicated explanation of “text complexity,” which you can read here, that reviews research said […]

Passing-on not a defence to claims by indirect purchasers

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 6 hours ago
*Pro-Sys Consultants Ltd. v. Microsoft Corporation,* 2013 SCC 57 holds that indirect purchasers have a cause of action against the party who has effectuated the overcharge at the top of the distribution chain that has allegedly injured the indirect purchasers as a result of the overcharge being "passed on" to them through the chain of distribution. The argument that indirect purchasers should have no cause of action because passing on has been rejected as a defence in Canada should fail. The Court holds: [18] The passing-on defence was typical... more »

What is an Information to Obtain?

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 6 hours ago
In order for a search warrant to be issued the police must have more than a mere suspicion a crime has happened. They must good reason to believe that a crime has happened and then have probable cause (as much as that's an American term it's accurate) to believe the place they want to search has evidence relevant to that crime. The police then put their information in a document called an Information to Obtain (ITO). The ITO can be enormous – it can amount to several bound volumes if the matter is very complex. In the ITO the police outline the information they have – and they ... more »

Benghazi and NSA items November 1 , 2013... CIA operatives in Benghazi finally to give testimony to congress on november 11 , 2013 ... More NSA whistleblowers came forward after Edward Snowden..... NSA fiasco - china slams US spying and the loss of trust factor ..........

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 7 hours ago
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/11/01/cia-operatives-in-benghazi-to-appear-in-closed-congressional-hearing/ CIA operatives in Benghazi to appear in closed Congressional hearing POSTED AT 8:01 AM ON NOVEMBER 1, 2013 BY ED MORRISSEY Congress has tried for more than a year to gain access to those who survived the terrorist attack on two American outposts in Benghazi, with little success — until now. Just days afteran extensive report by *60 Minutes* on the run-up to the attack and the lack of US response during the attack itself, the CIA will make witnesses available to the House Int... more »

Well airport security can be trying

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 7 hours ago
The rigmarole at British airports of removing your laptop and/or tablet from your carry-on bag, but not your pda (why the distinction? when does a pda become a tablet? 4", 5", 7", 9"?), then removing your coat or jacket but not always a cardigan or windcheater, removing your belt and sometimes your shoes can be rather trying. *Putting everything back into place whilst not holding up the queue too much is also extremely irritating but we'll leave that for the moment.* Many is the time that I've joked to Mrs NotaSheep and other nearby passengers that before long they'll require us to ... more »

Finding Humanity, Not Stereotypes, #InsideIran

Nima Shirazi at Wide Asleep in America - 7 hours ago
Nastaran Ghaffari, 22, is one of the many subjects of ABC News correspondent Muhammad Lila’s #FacesOfIran photo series during his current trip to Iran. (Photo Credit: Muhammad Lila / Twitter) It is no surprise that our media environment is saturated with reports of efforts by hawkish lobbying groups, former administration officials, Congress members, and even foreign governments to disrupt

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 7 hours ago
*Work halted at Assumption Sinkhole after containment berm cracks ~Katie Moore, WWLTV* *Gusman ends controversial flat-rate contract with firm ~Clair Galofaro* *Proposal for recycling Charity Hospital emphasizes mental health services ~Janet Hayes, The Lens* *Animal control, law enforcement officers learn to rescue animals from floods ~AP, The Republic* *'Cajun Flamingo' comes roaring back from brink of extinction ~John Snell, WVUE* *Dithyrambalina: New Orleans Music Box Village Expands, Goes Mobile ~Jocelyne Ninnerman, offBeat*

Like NSA spying lies , Obama Care lies piling up - Obama Knew Most Americans Would Not Be Able To Keep Their Existing Insurance Under Obama Care As Early As 2010

Catharsis Ours - 7 hours ago
Twitchy.... Yesterday evening, NBC News reported that the Obama Administration has known for years that millions of Americans would lose their insurance plans, contrary to President Obama’s infamous promise. The Drudge Report featured NBC’s article in a banner headline. Late last night or early this morning, after several mendacious White House officials tried to claim that people aren’t being forced out of their health plans, NBC’s article inexplicably disappeared from its website: Josh Jordan @*NumbersMuncher* The NBC story on Obama lying now comes up with a "Error 404" message... more »

The Quaint Notion Of Responsibility

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 7 hours ago
While Rob Ford insists that he has no reason to resign, and the prime minister's story changes everyday, Andrew Coyne writes that the concept of responsibility has become a quaint notion -- a relic of the past: There was a time when public office holders were expected to take responsibility for these things, as a matter of personal honour if nothing else. But conventions last only as long as they are observed. Today, the prime minister clings to his position — I was the victim of a conspiracy involving everyone around me — as tightly as Senator Duffy clings to his paycheque. In... more »

What About In Deep Red Districts? Was The GOP Government Shutdown A Step Too Far Even In Some Of Them?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 7 hours ago
Boehner and Cantor-- who allowed the GOP's racist wing shut down the government because of their pathological fury over an African-American in the White House-- have been whining that Obama wants to "kill the Republican Party." Unfortunately, he isn't… and even if he wanted to, suicide seems a far more likely cause of the once-credible party's demise. MoveOn's district polling has shown vulnerable Republicans in districts the DCCC has never contested-- districts they always considered too far out of reach. But a competent DCCC (even more a fantasy than an Obama wanting to kill the... more »

Read Stuff, You Should

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 8 hours ago
Happy Birthday to Natalia Tena, 29. A new month, and more good stuff: 1. New evidence that how open a primary is doesn't have anything to do with polarization. 2. I'm pro-pork, but skeptical that more available pork within the system would have changed anything with regard to the shutdown. Still, John Hudak is right that pork is a good thing. 3. And the Monkey Cage's election reports continue to be one of the great resources out there -- here's a post-election report on Argentina from Julia Pomares.

Burmese Pythons: A Kinmen endemic species

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 8 hours ago
*When I was on Kinmen in August I didn't see any Burmese Pythons. How depressing.* Taiwan Today ran a piece on the discovery that the Burmese Python of Kinmen, long thought to be invasive, is actually an endemic species of Kinmen Island. The piece on the DNA work that showed that was recently published in Zoological Studies. You et al (2013) note: The python once occurred on the islands in the early twentieth century, when the natural environment was less damaged (Hu 1976). However, those records were neglected by biologists until 2009, when Shiang et al. (2009) first included th... more »

“The Fuel Pools of Fukushima: The Greatest Short-term Threat To Humanity”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 8 hours ago
* “The Fuel Pools of Fukushima: The Greatest Short-term Threat To Humanity”* by Washington's Blog "Based on U.S. Energy Department data, assuming a total of 11,138 spent fuel assemblies are being stored at the Dai-Ichi site, nearly all in pools. They contain roughly 336 million curies (~1.2 E+19 Bq) of long-lived radioactivity. About 134 million curies is Cesium-137 — roughly 85 times the amount of Cs-137 released at the Chernobyl accident as estimated by the U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP). The total spent reactor fuel inventory at the Fukushima-Daichi site ... more »

Friday Nerd Blogging: When Life Imitates Art

Steve Saideman at Duck of Minerva - 8 hours ago
Happy Day After Halloween, folks. Resist the urge to steal your kid’s candy. Once again, the internet is a magical place:

"How It Really Is"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago

“10 Jaw-dropping Absurdities Brought to You By the Right Wing”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
* * *“10 Jaw-dropping Absurdities Brought to You By the Right Wing”* By Janet Allon *“1. Kevin Swanson is begging you not to buy those lesbian Girl Scout cookies:* How, you might ask, can a cookie be lesbian? And which one is the most lesbian? Is it the famous chocolate covered Thin Mints, or those scrumptious Do-si-dos Peanut Butter Sandwiches? Right-wing pastor Kevin Swanson is not buying sweets from his local Girl Scouts. And he doesn’t want you to, either. Because if you do, you are helping them to promote this oh-so-harmless-seeming, but secretly dastardly organization’s le... more »

"Obama Administration Knew Millions Could Not Keep Their Health Insurance"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
* * *"Obama Administration Knew Millions * *Could Not Keep Their Health Insurance"* By Lisa Myers and Hannah Rappleye "President Obama repeatedly assured Americans that after the Affordable Care Act became law, people who liked their health insurance would be able to keep it. But millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years. Four sources deeply involved in the Affordable Care Act tell NBC News that 50 to 75 percent of the 14... more »

Greg Hunter, "Weekly News Wrap-Up 11.1.13"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 9 hours ago
*"Weekly News Wrap-Up 11.1.13"* By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com "My top story this week is Israel and the warning it issued late last week about Iran’s nuclear program. A report says Iran may have enough nuclear material to produce a bomb in as little as a month. Iran has repeatedly said its program is for the peaceful production of energy, but many countries in the West, including Israel, don’t buy it. Israel’s deputy defense minister said, “Israel will not stand by and watch Iran develop weaponry.” That is a not-so-veiled threat of possible future military action. In another ... more »

TGIF

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 9 hours ago

Why Wouldn't One War Criminal Welcome Another War Criminal?

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 9 hours ago
So, the blood-soaked war criminal, anti-democratic, complete and utter shit-head, Dick Cheney was in Toronto yesterday. Speaking to a bunch of brain-dead sheeple about some stupid thing or other. Disappointing. Canada puts out the welcome mat for a mass-murdering, corrupt scumbag like Dick Cheney. But it's no surprise. What with our illegally installed regime of the war criminal stephen harper. These blood-soaked cowards like each others' company.

Five Most Popular Posts for October

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 10 hours ago
The five most read posts of the month were: 1. Russell Brand and Revolution 2. Socialism for a Sceptical Age 3. A Farewell to Liberal Conspiracy 4. The State Blogging's In 5. Why the Left Hates the *Daily Mail* It was always going to be the boy Brand ruling the roost, just edging out my look at Ralph Miliband's "evil legacy". But, as is always the case, what drives audiences are the issues that percolate strongly around the media's hall of mirrors. I noted last month that "straight" pieces of political commentary were finally getting some traction, and this gratifying trend has cont... more »

Congress Disgraces United States - Fails To Show For Drone Hearing

urupiper at Yesterday 's Lies - 10 hours ago
*(many want to continue believing that WHEN drone strikes occur here, killing innocents, maybe a member of our own family, that someone in CONgress will care . . . ) * *By PopularResistance.org* * Above: Nabila Rehman, left, 9, watches as her brother Zubair reads a statement about the day their grandmother was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan, at a hearing in Washington, Tuesday.Jason Reed/Reuters* Alan Grayson (D-FL) organized an historic hearing on US drone strikes. It was the first time that drone strike victims told their stories to U.S. elected officials at a hear... more »

Open Thread: Fly Specks of the Brain edition

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 10 hours ago
Seems to me that if these evangelical bozos could actually do what they profess to do and that their magic jazz hands can heal the sick, they'd take their fucking act on the road and really pull in the pelf. Plus it would take some of the load off the Obamacare website. Or am I too cynical for saying that? ------------------------------ Dick Cheney is that rarest of animals: The Vietnam draft-dodger who actually refuses to go to Canada. ------------------------------ Thanks to the GOP cutting SNAP benefits, last night I had kids showing up at my door begging me for me... more »

KIDNAPPED OR RESCUED BY 'GANG'?

Anon at aangirfan - 10 hours ago
Larisa Moskalenko, from the Ukraine, was a Russian Olympic athlete in 1988 and was a special forces soldier. She has been arrested for being part of an 'international child kidnapping ring'. On one occasion, 'children from Tunisia were taken through Sicily to Norway by boat' *http://www.dailymail* *Larisa, who runs a boat rental firm in Palermo, Sicily* The Italian police have named Luigi Cannistraro, Antonio Barazza and Sebastiano Calabrese as being among seven suspects. *A suspect in Larisa's kidnap gang.* Two Norwegians and a Swede are also being held in Tunisia. They hav... more »

MaWangMess: Blowback edition II: Prosecutor Huang indicted

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 10 hours ago
*Caught in mid-flight, early morning dew on its back.* The MaWangMess continues to blow back on the President, as Taipei District prosecutors went after Prosecutor Huang for leaking information to Ma. *State Prosecutor-General Huang Shyh-ming was indicted Friday *on charges of leaking classified information in violation of the Criminal Code and the Communication Security and Surveillance Act. The indictment said Huang broke the law when he briefed President Ma Ying-jeou Aug. 31 on tapped phone conversations indicating that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng lobbied the justice minis... more »

The BBC's Middle East Desk don't like being questioned

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 10 hours ago
Further to this story, the BBC have sent me a rather supercilious reply: Dear Mr MaybeaGoat This is not an issue which deserves apologies or admissions of right or wrong - in other words, point-scoring. We were happy to add the label of Egypt to the map, but as we said in our previous reply, it was not out of necessity. Kind regards Middle East desk BBC News website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/middle_east/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/handle-complaint/ Do you think they're not happy being questioned? I have responded by email, but since this particular desk seem incapable of... more »

I Walk With Giants

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 11 hours ago
October was the busiest I have ever been; swept away on an avalanche of work. My most abject apologies for the light blogging the last three weeks. But November 1 brought some sweet news: my first SF short story, in Analog. I can't resist a shout of joy here even though this is a Taiwan blog. _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Formula One quiz

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 11 hours ago
When was the last time that three drivers of the same nationality finished first, second and third in a Formula One Grand Prix and so shared the podium at the end of the race? Answer tomorrow...

Spies Lie (And Why, When They Tell the Truth, No One Can Believe Them)  Today, We Are Seeing a Repeat of Professional Voyeurism by Our Nation's Spies On An Unprecedented and Pervasive Scale.   ALERT! Dick Cheney Calls for Iranian War (Again!)

(Please consider making a contribution to Welcome to the Pottersville2 Quarterly Fundraiser happening now or sending a link to your friends if you think the subjects discussed here are worth publicizing. Thank you for your support. We really appreciate it. Anything you can do will make a huge difference in this blog's ability to operate.) Millions facing food stamp cuts on November 1 After

Some former European politicians want an EU KGB

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 12 hours ago
Some readers suggested that Europe should have its own "unified" surveillance agency – probably for Europe to resemble the U.S. with its NSA etc. I was terrified by the idea. Unfortunately, you are going to be shown an example of the reasons why I was so terrified. The Gatestone Institute and LifeSiteNews inform about a new initiative that has made recommendations to the EU Parliament: Former heads of state call on EU to set up state surveillance of ‘intolerant’ citizens ------------------------------ Former heads of state call on EU to set up state surveillance of ‘intolerant’ citi... more »

MYSTERIOUS GESTAPO CHIEF MUELLER

Anon at aangirfan - 12 hours ago
Genuine or a forgery? Heinrich Müller was chief of Hitler's Gestapo secret police, he was Adolf Eichmann's commanding officer, he organized the famous "conference of Wannsee" and he was one of the chief architects of the Holocaust. Müller organized the bloody false flag incidents on the Polish frontier, which "justified" Hitler's invasion of Poland. In 1949, the post-war German intelligence service reported a sighting of Muller in Czechoslovakia. *Now the mainstream media is claiming that Muller, officially a Catholic, was secretly buried in a Jewish cemetery in Berlin in 1945.* ... more »

Michael Tellinger - The Secret History of the Anunnaki - Their Mission on Earth

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 12 hours ago
Brand new interview with author, scientist and explorer Michael Tellinger produces stunning new evidence that may force us to rethink our origins and rewrite our history books. Scholars say that the first *Civilization* on Earth emerged in a land called Sumer some 6000 years ago. New research by Michael Tellinger, Johan Heine and a team of leading scientists, suggest that the Sumerians and even the Egyptians inherited all their knowledge from an earlier civilization that lived in Africa more than 200,000 years ago... mining gold. *GOLD always believe in your soul:*

ScienceMag: Medieval Warm Period global, 0.65 °C warmer than present

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 13 hours ago
*The largest ocean was 2 °C warmer than today when ancient civilizations exploded* Some fun events and articles related to the climate were recently posted. Pierre Gosselin pointed out that a well-known German daily, TAZ, told its readers that the German environmental psychologists determined that climate alarmists need a psychiatric treatment. The TRF readers who have also read Alexander Ač's essays must have made this "discovery" long before the German colleagues. Also, Nature published an essay arguing that the IPCC is ripe for (criminal, psychiatric) examination; see a review ... more »

Gray State - global crystal nacht - movie trailer

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 13 hours ago
* Gray State was conceived in November of 2010 by David Crowley and Danny Mason. The scale and nature of the material indicated that not only did they have an obligation to craft a human story out of the morass, but they had an obligation to tell it properly, far from the typical financial hangups that have become the convention for independent film.* [source GRAY STATE] THE SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION ... MAY NOT BE REMEMBERED * It is a time of transition, of shifting alliance, of mass awakening and mass execution. It is an impending storm, an iron-gray morning that puts into ef... more »

"A Look to the Heavens"

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 15 hours ago
“NGC 7841 is probably known as the Smoke Nebula, found in the modern constellation of Frustriaus, the frustrated astrophotographer. Only a few light-nanoseconds from planet Earth, The Smoke Nebula is not an expanding supernova remnant along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, though it does look a lot like one. Instead it was created by flash photography of rising smoke. * Click image for larger size.* The apparently rich starfield is actually composed of water droplets sprayed from a plant mister by an astrophotographer grown restless during a recent stretch of cloudy weather... more »

Surprise! I Try Again To Propose Some Sanity in the War Against the Core.

Michael Paul Goldenberg at @ THE CHALK FACE - 16 hours ago
The Author Working at Home Over on one of the “secret” Facebook groups I’m on (I’d mention the name but then of course I would have to have my cats bury you in hairballs – and believe me, they could do it), there was some mild confusion today about whether we opposed the Common Core […]

The Obamacare health care mash...

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 16 hours ago
*we laugh to keep from crying.* via Angry White Dude *(who has much more)* * *

Wellstone vs. The New World Order

Paul Coker at News Spike - 16 hours ago
Paul Wellstone vs. The New World Order from Spike1138 on Vimeo. "What kind of a peace I mean, and what kind of a peace do we seek...?" "What kind of Victory will it be...? *Senator Paul Wellstone - July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002*

More Polling In The Inland Empire-- More Good News For Eloise Reyes

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 16 hours ago
Ros-Lehtinen (FL) and Denham (CA), 2 Republicans in favor of immigration reform... unlike Gary Miller Gary Miller, a multimillionaire, crooked Confederate Civil War reenactor from Arkansas was always an odd pick for the new Inland Empire district carved 2 years ago out of the districts of retiring congressmen David Dreier and Jerry Lewis and defeated Blue Dog, Joe Baca. The only reason Miller won is because DCCC Chairman Steve Israel insisted on backing a pathetic empty suit, the appointed mayor of Redlands, Peter Aguilar. Aguilar was rejected by Democratic voters and lost to *two* R... more »

7 Easy Ways To Add Meatless Meals To Your Table

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 16 hours ago
Welcome to the first Friday of the month. Usually I share a delicious recipe with you, but this month I decided to do something a bit different. We've talked about the many reasons to eat meatless meals and we've explored some wonderful dishes from people all over the world. But once we've made the decision to incorporate more vegan foods into our lives, how do we get started? I'm glad you asked! Here are some proven ways to easily add meatless meals to your table: 1. Simply remove the meat.Many dishes work well without the addition of beef, pork, etc. For example, spaghetti m... more »

Why I will not be speaking at Southeast TESOL next week

skrashen at Schools Matter - 17 hours ago
I will not be speaking at the Southeast TESOL Association Meeting to be held in Myrtle Beach next week, because of a disagreement about my keynote topic. I learned only recently that the conference theme was supporting the common core, that it was "dedicated entirely to providing teachers with strategies for working with common core and all of the states in attendance have adopted it." I therefore changed my topic to "The case against the common core." This was rejected by the SETESOL Executive Committee. I was told that "this topic cannot be presented to this group of attendee... more »

Slow start for Obamacare?...(video)

Adrienne at Adrienne's Corner - 17 hours ago
*would be an understatement.* *And this administration just keeps lying and lying. * *“People think that a liar gains a victory over his victim. What I’ve learned is that a lie is an act of self-abdication, because one surrenders one’s reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person one’s master, condemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that person’s view requires to be faked…The man who lies to the world, is the world’s slave from then on…There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.” ― A... more »

Longest Walk 4 Grand Junction Halloween

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 18 hours ago
Big Night for the Little Long Walkers. Photos by Western Shoshone long walker Carl 'Bad Bear' Sampson, on the Longest Walk 4 in Grand Junction, Colorado, Oct. 31, 2013. Thanks for sharing with Censored. The Long Walkers really need warm sleeping bags. Would be great if folks could buy those new for the walkers, rated 0 or 10 degrees. Here's the walkers who need

ObamaCare: What You're Not Being Told

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Daniels) at Global Political Awakening - 18 hours ago
[image: Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...] Enter your email address to subscribe to our newsletter: Delivered by FeedBurner Be the Change! Share this using the tools below.

Chet Raymo, “Out Of Eden”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 18 hours ago
* “Out Of Eden”* by Chet Raymo “The Maori of New Zealand imagined the original man with his head planted firmly in the earth, an ocean issuing from his mouth, in his groin a gum tree, clouds on his feet. What are we to make of this upside-down Adam? No head-in-the-clouds this fellow. His tattooed noggin is fixed in the soil like a tuber. Arms spread like an ocean-going outrigger canoe. Heart and lungs smoldering in the hearth of his chest. Only the soles of his feet keeping the sky from crushing him out. Looks good to me. Humankind as integral to nature. Earth, water, fire, air.... more »

Greece updates - October 31 , 2013 .... Troika and Greece Government at loggerheads regarding additional austerity demands made by Troika ? NPLs at Greek Banks continue to swell - now 65 billion euros worth of NPLs or 30 percent of all loans issued ......ATE Bank having "troubles " - lines outside ATE branches , checks not being cashed by bank due to " computer glitches " ? Greece fire about to flare up again ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 19 hours ago
http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/10/31/eu-sourcetroika-wont-go-to-greece-because-no-one-wants-them-via-reuters-sigh/ [image: EU source:Troika won’t go to Greece “because no one wants them” (via Reuters) *sigh*] tagged: eurozone sources, Greece, put on hold, Reuters , Troika, visit EU source:Troika won’t go to Greece “because no one wants them” (via Reuters) *sigh* Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy Do the Troika inspectors boycott Greece? Have they put their visit to Athens on hold? Reuters reported so on Thursday afternoon citing two “eurozone sources”. According to Reuters... more »

NYSED: Cherry picking data.

Chris Cerrone at @ THE CHALK FACE - 19 hours ago
Here is another example of education reformers cherry picking data. New York Education Commissioner John King and the Board of Regents have been under a tremendous amount of pressure from parents and educators across the Empire State about the Common Core implementation and the significant increase in mandated testing, along with the cancellation and rescheduling […]

When An Economist Challenges The Conservative's Pro-Big Business Agenda .... He gets called a 'Bolshivek'. Welcome To Harper's Canada

leftdog at Buckdog - 19 hours ago
* * ** *In 2011 the Harper Conservatives did some loud back slapping about an an out-of-court settlement with U.S. Steel. Then Industry Minister, Christian Paradis said “This settlement demonstrates that the Investment Canada Act is working” This was an attempt to distract from the fact that under Harper the Investment Canada Act was really only working for big corporations that wanted to buy up Canadian companies. * * Turns out even this deal was just another Conservative fabrication. The company never even bothered to restart its massive Hamilton blast furnace, shuttered completel... more »

UK: Approved behind closed doors, curbs that END THREE CENTURIES OF PRESS FREEDOM

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 19 hours ago
Secretive meeting: Maria Miller * * *Late update: video at the Huffington Post:* http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/30/queen-signs-royal-charter_n_4178705.html * * * * ** *Approved behind closed doors, curbs that end three centuries of Press freedom* By TIM SHIPMAN and GERRI PEEV PUBLISHED: 18:40 EST, 30 October 2013 | UPDATED: 19:30 EST, 30 October 2013 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2480676/Approved-closed-doors-curbs-end-centuries-Press-freedom.html A secretive committee of four ministers yesterday approved a Royal Charter to regulate the Press, provoking claims... more »

Humans are simply uncontainable. Get used to it.

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 19 hours ago
Posted by: American Kabuki “Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can ... more »

Al Qaeda Terrorists Pass US Special Forces, CIA Agents on Way to Syria

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 19 hours ago
*November 1, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - A recent Daily Telegraph article reveals that armies of Al Qaeda terrorists are using NATO-member Turkey as a springboard for their invasion of neighboring Syria. NATO is the chief executor of the so-called "War on Terror," started in 2001 after Al Qaeda terrorists allegedly flew four passenger planes into various targets on America's east coast, including the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died in a single day. The invasion of Afghanistan promptly followed based on the pretense that it was "harboring" members of Al Q... more »

Tel Aviv Regime Strikes Syria, Again

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 19 hours ago
Latest Israeli attack part of wider US-Saudi-Israeli strategy. * * *November 1, 2013* (Tony Cartalucci) - Israel and its Western sponsors have admitted to an unprovoked airstrike in Syrian territory this week. This is the latest of several assaults Israeli planes have carried out against neighboring Syria over the past year. CNN, in its report, "Israeli planes strike Syrian military base, U.S. official says," admits: Israeli warplanes struck a military base near the Syrian port city of Latakia this week, an Obama administration official told CNN on Thursday. An explosion at a miss... more »

A DWT holiday ghost story featuring the Spirit of Halloween: "Big Dick" Cheney and his unexplodable heart

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 19 hours ago
*The former veep reveals how he forced his doctors to protect his (alleged) heart from remote hackers.* *by Ken* Halloween is fine for kids. I don't know what the cutoff age is -- 9 or 10 is fine, 10 or 11 is pushing it, and beyond that, well, you might want to seek professional help. As for adults who indulge, I have to imagine we're dealing with straight people who want to be more like gay people and gay people who . . . okay, I haven't worked this part out, but you're going to have a rough time persuading me it's wired into the schematic of being gay, like doing tasteful floral ... more »

Nothing About Rob Ford

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 20 hours ago
It looks like the big, incompetent, obnoxious hypocrite is toast. I've got a swarm of fruit-flies in my kitchen from a week's worth of dirty dishes. So, I'm busy. So here's another video (or two) ... and ... and ...

Going to Morocco!

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 20 hours ago
Bought a ticket to Morocco! Thank you my wonderful blog readers for all the help! I love you all! -Bill Dance video courtesy: http://www.edisproduction.de/2013/10/20/man-with-awesome-dance-moves-will-amaze-you/

GAIA PORTAL: Transformation of “Old Paradigm Connectors” Occurs Rapidly at this Time…

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 20 hours ago
* * * * *Transformation of “Old Paradigm Connectors” Occurs Rapidly at this Time…* by ÉirePort Transformation of "old paradigm connectors" occurs rapidly at this time. Hue-Beings are advised to release the "saving paradigm". Current energetics (and supporting Higher grids) align only with New Paradigm connectors. "Old paradigms" are no longer an option for Gaia residents. Those attempting to remain at "old paradigm connector" level will be removed from all "New Paradigm" timelines. Those open to transformation will be guided to selected rescue paths, available for a short time. ... more »

It is you.

Sophia Love at AMERICAN KABUKI - 20 hours ago
It is fitting that included with the blog today are some words shared a few days ago in California. Click here and you’ll hear Bob Wright. He is speaking to all of us. Here are a few more words, speaking to some who may just have joined the program, and are beginning now to understand what it is we have to give. It is Agape. *I see you now* *holding the paper* *proclaiming my debt* *to you* *which lives beyond this life of yours* *extending debt* *controlling falsehoods* *grasping for fairness* *imagining love can be shown with a price tag* * * *The fault is... more »

The Realist Report with John Friend

John Friend at John Friend's Blog - 21 hours ago
On this edition of *The Realist Report*, we'll be joined once again by Clement Pulaski. Clement and I will be discussing his essay *Christian Virtue and Political Order* and traditional American nationalism, populism. You can download the mp3 for this program *here*, or visit *The Realist Report* on BlogTalkRadio to subscribe via iTunes and view past programs. Below are relevant links for this program: - *Christian Virtue and Political Order* by Clement Pulaski - *Virtue Ethics* - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - *Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Chapter IX: Plan ... more »

Israel says NO, while Syria beats deadlines. Latakia attack?

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 21 hours ago
*Israel says NO to ratifying Chemical Weapons Convention * Israel's security cabinet is sticking to its decision* not to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention *– even though top defense figures have come out in favor of the treaty, a senior official said Although Israel signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993, by* not ratifying the accord it declines to subject itself to the treaty.* *Israel is not in compliance.* Israel is able to be non compliant with the Chemical Weapons Treaty because they choose to not ratify the agreement. As they have just chosen, yet again. Netany... more »

Friday Morning Ramble: “He hit me with a flower”

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 22 hours ago
It’s the end of the week, and Lou Reed is still dead. But we can still talk about him. - *PC on Lou Reed,** *"Like Jenny said, my life was saved by Rock & Roll" – Peter Cresswell, NOT PC - Vaclav Havel & Lou Reed: “The True Story Of How Lou Reed Helped Overthrow Communism In Eastern Europe” – Rob Wile, BUSINESS INSIDER - *Neil Gaiman on Lou Reed:** *“His songs were the soundtrack to my life” – GUARDIAN - *Penn Jillette on Lou Reed:* "...so he just punched me in the face." [99 min. podcast] – PENN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL - *“In his two opening sentences, Pete... more »

JFK50: Shortest Verbal Proof of Conspiracy

Paul Coker at News Spike - 22 hours ago
*The Warren Commission assert that Jack was shot in the head with a high-velocity rifle.* * * *The Manlicher-Carcano is a low-velocity rifle.*

GOP back to the same old tricks

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 22 hours ago
You'll be shocked to learn Senate Republicans are blocking critical judicial nominees again. They're damned determined to keep the D.C.Circuit controlled by cons and they're not afraid to filibuster. (What "gentlemen's" agreement?) And can we please call the "court-packing" claim a lie? Cornyn's court-packing claim is misleading -- it is a reference to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's attempts to expand the size of the Supreme Court; Obama merely wants to fill vacancies on the appellate level. But he repeated the talking point in multiple op-eds recently, laying the groundw... more »

Massive media fail: Health care horror stories

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 22 hours ago
Exactly one honest piece on the Memeorandum right now debunking the embarrassing clickbaiting about Obamacare cancellations. The majority are rife with disgracefully negligent coverage of cherrypicked whiners whose phony horror stories will most probably be debunked within hours. You want facts these days, you have to go to the honest journos like Steve Benen who exposes the media malpractice of the Clickbait Corps. Bartiromo didn’t follow up with the guest, so Michael Hiltzik did. He discovered that Deborah Cavallaro has a pretty awful health plan, which costs $293 a month in prem... more »

Rob Ford and friends

Alison at Creekside - 23 hours ago
Oh that's so unfair of me -it's a couple of years old. Ok, here they are again after another fishing trip last year. But it was this pic of Steve showing up to do a Toronto subway funding presser with Ford last month that had me convinced the Ford crack video was gone forever. Well, that and the fact people in and around that vid were getting shot and arrested or beaten up with pipes. Why would Steve risk being associated with him? The Star Today : *Police have the video that appears to show mayor smoking crack, Blair says* “I have no reason to resign,” Ford says. Ford friend A... more »

Mark Easton keeps at it

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 23 hours ago
The BBC's home affairs editor Mark Easton has been getting a bit of stick recently from right-wing newspapers and politicians over the issue of bias, particularly regarding the issue of immigration. Undeterred, Mark keeps on keeping on. His latest blogpost poses the question *Is diversity good or bad for community cohesion?* Can you guess what answer his article will give...before you even read it? Here's his closing paragraph: But what this paper suggests is that where you have non-segregated and relatively prosperous communities, diversity is likely to improve community lif... more »

A Hero Died the Other Day (12/13/2004)

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 23 hours ago
On this day, many Nahua-Maya cultures commemorate the death of loved ones/ On this day, those that died in accidents are remembered and honored. This column is of my tio who died almost ten years ago in a car accident, being thrown from the vehicle he had been riding in. Memories of my uncle are even special to this day.I count 24 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren of a hardworking, honorable man Published on LatinoLA: December 13, 2004 [image: A Hero Died the Other Day][image: print this]print Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailMore Sharing Services [image: RSS Feed... more »

Catch of the Day

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 23 hours ago
Here's one for Jaime Fuller, who tells us about "The Inside the Beltway Center for Presidents Who Can't Lead Good." It's a great item, chock full of links to all the totally excellent advice that pundits have been giving Barack Obama, everything from "stop golfing" to "grow a beard." That last one was probably not fair; I'm pretty sure Alex Seitz-Wald didn't really think it would solve Obama's problems, much less the nation's. But the rest? Fair game! Okay, I don't really have more to say about this; I just really enjoyed the list and the title (I should also probably note that Full... more »

Weekend Update

Southern Man at Southern Man - 23 hours ago
A few random photos from the weekend... Teen Daughter was here for the weekend to appear as the Martha half of Mary and Martha (right). We also went shopping (left) and payed a visit to Southern Mother (center). On Saturday evening Southern Man went on the annual fall hay-ride with the church singles. Manly men doing manly things around a manly campfire. One of the girls poses in the shelter. All in all, a relaxing weekend spent with family and friends. Southern Man will take all of those he can get. *Thank you, Lord, for my friends and my family; bless them and keep them, al... more »

on Free Planet, we look after Number One!

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 23 hours ago
"On Free Planet, we look after Number One?" Do you get that? We look after Number One. We treat no-one above ourselves, and that's the most important thing? We put no-one on a pedestal. We are all equals. We ensure that every individual is as important as the power from the sun and storms. We make sure that we're all prepared to survive horrific storms or chance asteroid encounters. Why? Oh, sorry - did you expect me to say, "Gaia is our Number One and we must look after her and pander to her every need and worship only her?" Well, that's utter (acolyte) bullshit. Before we look... more »

Tom DeLay, God And Original Intent-- Happy Halloween

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 23 hours ago
George Orwell wrote that "religion is the last refuge of a scoundrel," a take on Alfred North Whitehead's "religion is the last refuge of human savagery" and Samuel Johnson's "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." All three adages fit Tom DeLay, who claims to be on a mission from God, equally well. Samuel Johnson, Boswell assures us, was referring only to "false patriotism." DeLay's egregious corruption drove him out of his leadership role in the House GOP and then out of the House entirely. Until he was rescued by a corrupt Republican appeals judge, his guilty convicti... more »

Double entendre of the day?

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 23 hours ago
The BBC report that: 'A passenger on a plane travelling to Luton Airport from Israel has been questioned by police after a snake was discovered on the flight. The man had brought his "small pet snake" on-board the Easyjet flight from Tel Aviv, the airline confirmed. A spokesman said passengers were "not in any danger". It was later found to be a "harmless" corn snake.' But it was this that caught my eye: 'Hugo Allon tweeted: "My plane is being met by police because someone brought a snake on board and whipped it out mid flight. Never a dull moment with Easyjet."' Whipped his sna... more »

PULLING A 9-11

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
Snowden's revelations about the NSA has seen US intelligence bosses go to great lengths to justify their activities. Officially they've been told to use 9/11 as their main argument, according to a document leaked in the media. And some politicians are happy to follow that advice. Pepe Escobar joins RT to discuss this issue.

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*A Nightmare That You’ll Never Be Discovering ~moosedenied*

@_fuck_israel_ is at it again

Not a sheep at Not a sheep - 1 day ago
The nasty anti-Semitic troll @_fuck_israel_ has been at it again, this time he has claimed that the Bible says that Jesus will return to Earth to kill all bad people (Jews) and also that all Christians believe that Jesus will come back to kill all Jews. You don't believe me? Here we go... In case you've forgotten, this is one of this idiot's previous tweets about wanting to kill all Jews There really are some nasty people out there.

Timestalk: Humanities majors on the decline!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013* *None dare call it extinction:* On this morning’s front page, the New York Times reports a decline in college humanities majors. At the end of Tamar Lewin’s report, Leon Botstein is quoted advancing a strange lament: LEWIN (10/31/13): *Many do not understand that the study of humanities offers skills that will help them sort out values, conflicting issues and fundamental philosophical questions,* said Leon Botstein, the president of Bard College. “We have failed to make the case that those skills are as essential to engineers and scientists and busines... more »

Of Course McConnell Has Blocked the Senate 400 Times

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
Earlier this week, Glenn Kessler wrote one of the puzzling fact-check columns I've seen in a while. It was over a claim by Democratic challenger Allison Lundergan Grimes that Mitch McConnell has "blocked the Senate over 400 times." And right up until the final two paragraphs, it was a fine column; in fact, I'd say it was an excellent, first-rate job. Up to those final two paragraphs. Kessler makes a number of good points. He recognizes that cloture votes and filibusters are not the same thing. Correct! He recognizes that some cloture votes fail. Correct! And he gets the key point: ... more »

The True Nature of the System Laid Bare - NYT Buries CIA Facts About Latin American Deaths, Occupy Leaders Targeted for Assassination by FBI, Craft International Rears Its Ugly Head

(Please consider making a contribution to Welcome to the Pottersville2 Quarterly Fundraiser happening now or sending a link to your friends if you think the subjects discussed here are worth publicizing. Thank you for your support. We really appreciate it. Anything you can do will make a huge difference in this blog's ability to survive.) First you see this headline: Choosing Murder: The

Guest Post - The Leading Air Pollution Controls

Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints - 1 day ago
With the recent news that air pollution is now considered to be a leading cause of lung cancer, there is a growing emphasis on the need for stringent controls and measures that curb the potential impact of carbon emissions. The issue facing small business owners, however, is that few of them have an understanding of these measures or quite how important they are in the current environmental climate. Without this fundamental basis of knowledge, however, you may run the risk of failing in terms of compliance and providing a safe working environment to employees. The Most Effective Air... more »

Musical Interlude: Michael Bolton, “When I'm Back On My Feet Again”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
Michael Bolton, “When I'm Back On My Feet Again” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=114QK3SVqyk . *Don’t give up!* Don’t you dare give up... a better day *is* coming... - CP

Great Video Narrated By "Snordelhans": It's Not There!

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 1 day ago
I have been saying for quite some time now that the Jews are absolutely NOT a race, and that they absolutely have no past, period.... Their so called Torah and Talmud are based upon fantasies, falsehoods, and lies.... There never was an "Exodus" or a "Passover" as their so called "scriptures" dictate... These fables were written sometime in the 9th century AD to give this tribe of thieves and liars some type of credibility, and to somehow unite them under the false premise that they are the "chosen ones" and the "children of god"..... I came across this very important video today, ... more »

The Arizona Uprising Informational Forum = Huge Success!

Roberto Rodriguez at Dr Cintli - 1 day ago
Cynthia Dia re Oct 8 Tucson uprising MEChA event drew from 90-100 people A few of the human rights activists who took part in Op Streamline shutdown Forum was a huge success! Dulce; on e of DREAMERS on national tour from Georgia Luis, Dreamer, on a national tour. The Arizona Uprising Informational Forum on Oct 30 was a complete success. One reason is that it was UA-MEChA's 1st event in more than a year. It was very powerful also because it brought community together... and the community that came are many of the principal activists involved in the Arizona Uprising Oct 8-14. This inclu... more »

New! Censored News original articles Oct. 31, 2013

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 1 day ago
Censored News articles, photos, videos Oct. 31, 2013 Mi’kmaq Warriors denied all rights in jail, one beaten http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/10/mikmaq-warriors-denied-all-rights-in.html Dine’ and Hopi to Peabody Coal ‘Halt theft of burial places http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/10/hopi-and-dine-to-peabody-coal-halt.html Videos and photos by Indigenous Action Media: Protest of

Perú: UFOs Appearing by the Dozens and the Government Re-Opens Investigations

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 1 day ago
*Source: LaRed21 (Peru) http://www.lr21.com.uy/mundo/1139111-ovni%C2%B4s-aparecen-por-decenas-en-peru-y-el-gobierno-reabre-la-investigacion Date: 31 October 2013* *Perú: UFOs Appearing by the Dozens and the Government Re-Opens Investigations* The Peruvian government decided to re-open the Anomalous Aerial Phenomena Research Department, which was closed for the past five years, in the light of the massive increase of UFO sightings over all of the nation’s territory – something that is being reflected in the media and for which no answer is found in nearly all cases. The Department... more »

Benjamin Fulford - This Halloween will haunt the cabalists for a long time

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
* * *Use discernment as always. I believe Ben said a similar thing last Halloween... -Bill* *This Halloween will haunt the cabalists for a long time* Benjamin Fulford October 28, 2013: There have been many big moves made against the cabal in the past week and more coming this week, according to multiple sources. In Japan, there have been a series of late night battles that have left a group of North Korean gangsters taking orders from Japan Mossad Chief Michael Green, and rogue CIA run by Kenneth Curtis, on the Run. As a result, Green and Curtis are in a state of deep fear, accor... more »

Atomic Errors: Propaganda & Ignorance in Reporting on Iran

Nima Shirazi at Wide Asleep in America - 1 day ago
Nothing doth more hurt in a state than That cunning men pass for wise. -- Francis Bacon Whenever tensions over Iran’s nuclear energy program appear to dissipate and rational, fact-based reporting begins to replace agenda-driven rhetoric in the press, the folks over at the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a Washington D.C. think tank that specializes in producing

Eating the Golden Goose, or Corporate Consumption of Higher Ed

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
If the plutocrats at the corporate foundations can impose their loser strategies on higher education as they have on K12, the demise of the greatest university system in the world will then be assured. Published at Alternet today.

Telegram

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 1 day ago
This week's *Telegram* at the *Daily Telegraph* features a twenty-minute discussion between James Delingpole and former BBC arts correspondent Rosie Millard on the issue of BBC bias. It's well worth a listen. listen to ‘Is BBC bias as bad as ever? And RIP Lou Reed. What happens when all the other rock legends die?’ on Audioboo

Religion and Politics

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 day ago
*Prince* * * Prince and Bro. Dick Gregory on Obama, White Supremacy and the Black State of the Union from Spike1138 on Vimeo. *"I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and we've never voted."* *Brand* Brand/Paxmam from Spike1138 on Vimeo. *"I don't vote, no. Never have, never will."* *Cosby* The Pound Cake Speech from Spike1138 on Vimeo. *NOTICE: Jesse Jackson looks PISSED.* "I'm saying Brown Vs. Board of Education. We've got to hit the streets, ladies and gentlemen. I'm winding up, now , no more applause. * I'm saying, look at the Black Muslims. *There are Black Muslims standing on... more »

Limning Minnesota: They were number two at math!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013* *Or so Ripley said:* Was Minnesota number two when it came to the teaching of math? That’s what Amanda Ripley says in her widely praised book, The Smartest Kids in the World. When it came to the teaching of math, Minnesota was our second-best state. And not only that! The inspiring state had made remarkable improvement over a twelve-year time span. Once again, we’ll be working from this basic text: RIPLEY (*page 72*): Of the three American students I followed, Eric was the only one who did not loathe math. Coincidence or not, Eric’s home state of Minn... more »

Did You Think Only Republicans Are Wall Street Whores?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
If you're a regular *DWT* reader, you know better. Of course, virtually every Republican in Congress is a full on shill for Wall Street. It's part of their DNA. But it's part of the DNA of a significant chunk of the Democratic congressional caucus as well. When it comes to catering to Wall Street there is virtually no difference whatsoever between Republicans and New Dems. Yesterday, 70 Wall Street-oriented Democrats voted with all but 3 Republicans to pass H.R. 992, an amendment to gut a piece of the Dodd-Frank financial reform consumer protection act. The final vote was 292-122.... more »

JFK, GAYS, MICHAEL JACKSON, MARY MEYER...

Anon at aangirfan - 1 day ago
One of my relatives was due to meet JFK on 22 November 1963. The meeting never took place. After Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza, the police and the CIA did their best not to collect any real evidence. *Killing Kennedy: Cover-Up | History Today *Professor Peter Ling - The University of Nottingham. *1.* Two thirds of the* people in Dealey Plaza* were never interviewed by the police. *2.* On 23 November 1963, a visitor to Dealey Plaza found *a bit of Kennedy's skull* in the grass centre of the highway. The visitor alerted the authorities, but, the authorities failed to... more »

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
Pumpkin fairy house via Old Moss Woman.

McHammered

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 1 day ago
Here's a suggestion to Adam Ozimek of *Forbes*: When trying to make your case, never quote a much better article by a much better columnist. Case in point: Ozzie's article entitled, "The Liberal War on Food Stamps." Obviously, this is a title that is designed to be provocative by going for the most ironic sentence and one wrenched 180 degrees from its polar opposite (that would be the truth). This pro-corporate fuckstick immediately goes for the jugular by writing, I can’t remember a more misguided attempt at attacking corporations than the move to frame food stamps as co... more »

Scary Stuff

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 1 day ago
If you're afraid of snakes, Science has found a visceral cause. There exists in our primate brains something called a pulvinar -- clusters of neurons specifically designed to make us fear the slithering legless reptiles. So I ask myself: do our brains also contain special neuronal pockets making us fear spiders, bears and sabre-tooth tigers? And before Homo sapiens goes entirely extinct, will evolution go into speed-dial emergency survival mode and gift us with a special place in our cerebral cortices which enable us to spot a slimy politician from a mile away? While you're ponder... more »

Oy, Fournier

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
This is what happens when the two parties ruling Washington lose touch with America and pander to their crazy-extreme bases: President Obama's competency and personality ratings are nose-diving, according to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll; barely a sliver of the public thinks highly of the Republican Party; and two-thirds of Americans want to replace their own member of Congress. This is what happens when a reporter is obsessed with insisting that the two parties are mirror images of each other: he manages to miss what may be a real story because he's so intent on serving up... more »

Mayor Rob Ford

Steve at Thinking Aboot - 1 day ago
What has Ford ever accomplished? He sat on council a job that one could allege he inherited. Think what you will of John Tory, I like what he offers in general. So how do you digest that John Tory had to seek permission from Rob Fords mother to run for Mayor? Just think about that in Game of Thrones perspective. GWB became president of the united states under much the same circumstance. Rob Ford was the worst candidate possible to do the dirty work of pushing back against the left and making the city accountable. So why was he run? Do you not feel like fools that the powers that be ... more »

Chile: Vicuña Object "Just a Solar Panel"? Debate is Ongoing

Inexplicata (IHU) at Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology - 1 day ago
*Source: El Observatodo Date: 10.30.2013* *Chile: Debate Over Fallen Object is Ongoing* *By The El Observatodo Team* Many in Vicuña claim to have seen it, but El Observatodo reached the site of the alleged crash shown in eyewitness photos. This is what we found. In Vicuña, out of 10 persons interviewed, 8 had heard about the alleged UFO and 5 claimed to have seen it. The photos circulating in the social networks are proliferating all over the web, so the only way to find out for sure was to organize an outing to the crash site itself. So we headed to the hill located in the Los Pimie... more »

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 1 day ago
*Rex Ryan praises brother Rob, Drew Brees ~Mike Triplett* *Who is Kenny Stills? ~Bradley Warshauer, Gambit* *IG: NOPD downgraded French Quarter thefts ~New Orleans Advocate* *Charges mount against high school coaching staff ~WDSU* *2013 Anba Dlo Symposium Initiates Public Dialogue ~Thomas Walsh, WWNO* *New ammo maker, Atlantic Marksmen, to open in Gulfport in early 2014 ~Lisa Monti, MBJ* *Voodoo Preview: The Breton Sound Balance the Equation ~My Spilt Milk*

TFA's PR Machine Lights It Up in Memphis with Front Page Stories of "Enchantment" and "Allure"

Jim Horn at Schools Matter - 1 day ago
CorpEd bought Memphis City Schools with a 90 million dollar Gates Foundation grant in late 2009, and early in 2010 the TN Department of Education was gobbled up by a $501 million bribe from the Gates controlled US Dept. of Education's RTTT. Thus began the slashing and burning of Memphis public schools in favor of corporate charters and the "surplussing," "excessing," and firing of teachers in favor of Teach for America's post-adolescent-and-white-privileged corporate missionaries. On Monday CorpEd's dependable lackey reporter at the Commercial Appeal, Michael Kelley, did a glowing... more »

In Spite Of Ongoing Interviews And Investigation Of Duffy / Wright, RCMP Had NO Knowlege of $13,560 Cheque From Conservative Party Until Duffy's Senate Speech ..

leftdog at Buckdog - 1 day ago
** *None of them .. Harper, Wright, Novak, Hamilton, LeBreton, Tkachuk, etc etc etc, are being forthright or honest about the facts and sequence of events in the Senate Scandal:* *PARLIAMENT HILL—An RCMP account of a lengthy police interview last June with two lawyers answering for Nigel Wright over the controversial $90,000 cheque he gave to embattled Senator Mike Duffy contains no reference to a separate $13,560 cheque that Mr. Wright also arranged to pay Sen. Duffy’s legal costs with Conservative Party money.* *** Despite the storm that erupted in Parliament this week over Sen.... more »

Do You Think Multimillionaire Congressmen Care If You And Your Family Drown?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
Chris Hayes did something remarkable Tuesday evening. He talked about how climate change relates to income inequality in America. Take a look at the short clip above. "Here's what I've learned," he reported. "The people at the bottom of the social pyramid, the poor, those without assets, or no assets other than their home, with debts piled up and low-wage jobs; those people who are struggling to just hang on by their fingernails to something that looks like a middle class existence… Those people, when the waters come in from the storms, those people are the first ones dragged out ... more »

MALALA, MATTHEWS AND MADDOW: Hopelessly devoted to being against!

bob somerby at the daily howler - 1 day ago
*THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013* *Part 3—Phrenology’s return:* Who will Malala Yousafzai turn out to be? We can’t tell you that. We were so pleased when we watched the tape of her U.N. address that we seem to have misheard one part of what she said. We were thrilled to hear this very unusual person make this declaration, emphasis hers: “Dear brothers and sisters! I am not *against* anyone.” We were thrilled by that declaration. We were so thrilled that, a bit later one, we thought we heard her say this: MALALA, AS HEARD: We call upon all the communities to be tolerant—*to reject preju... more »

"I'll Bet..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago

"The Point..."

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
"What is the point? We assume that every time we do anything we know what the consequences will be, i.e., more or less what we intend them to be. This is not only not always correct. It is wildly, crazily, stupidly, cross-eyed-blithering-insectly wrong!" - Douglas Adams, “The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide”

Satire “G.O.P. Unveils Own Health-Care Web Site, EmergencyRoom.gov”

noreply@blogger.com (CoyotePrime) at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly - 1 day ago
* “G.O.P. Unveils Own Health-Care Web Site,* * EmergencyRoom.gov”* by Andy Borowitz WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— “Saying that “the American people are fed up with a disastrous Web site that doesn’t work and never will,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) and a phalanx of congressional Republicans today unveiled their own health-care Web site, EmergencyRoom.gov. “At EmergencyRoom.gov, every American can access the one tried-and-true health-care system that has worked in this country for decades,” he said. While Healthcare.gov has frustrated many users with its ... more »

lifetime

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 1 day ago

Let's hold off on Rob Ford just now

James C Morton at Morton's Musings - 1 day ago
Yes the documents seem to show a relationship with Lisi and some exchange of something. And that could be drugs. But it also could be a paperback novel. Being caught on police surveillance is not pleasant but it does not always mean wrongdoing.
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